Press release -
ALKYONE ROCKER CHAIR TO DEBUT AT ICFF
NEW YORK CITY – May 19, 2019 – Francis Assadi Design Studio will introduce the Alkyone Rocker, a new modern chair design, at this year’s ICFF (booth 643), May 19-22, at Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.
The sea is central to the aesthetic of the Alkyone chair: the flowing curve of its seat is reminiscent of a wave or an ancient Greek ship, while the materials it is made of—Kebony® wood for the base and Avonite Surfaces® for the seat—make it suitable for both indoor and outdoor use.
“I was looking for a sustainable alternative to teak and what attracted me to Kebony was its process of transforming a renewable softwood into a weather resistant hardwood,” Assadi said. “In addition to its structural strength and durability, I was further struck by the beautiful rich brown of Kebony Clear, which really lends it the look and feel of a tropical hardwood.”
Assadi’s chair utilizes Kebony in a different way and for a significantly different end product than for what it is generally marketed. A marriage of design and functionality, the seat, made from thermoformed Avonite Surfaces, is molded to comfortably support the body, while the thick Kebony frame provides perfect balance for a smooth rocking motion. The Alkyone is a chair equally at home indoors as it is outdoors.
“Working with Kebony to adapt it to the design and structural requirements of the Alkyone Rocker took some testing and adjustments, but it worked out very well,” Assadi said. “Kebony is equally easy to machine by hand or by a CNC machine and responds very well to finishes.” Assadi chose to coat the Kebony wood with tung oil to bring out and maintain the rich brown tones and present a high-end, polished look.
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Kebony is a Norwegian company which aims to be the leading wood brand and technology organization. Underpinned by proven timber modification technologies, it produces an enhanced wood of a superior quality that is both environmentally friendly and cost-effective.
The company's headquarters is based in Oslo, with its production facility in Skien, South of Oslo. Currently employing about 60 people, Kebony has subsidiaries in Norway, Denmark and Sweden, sales representatives in Germany, France, UK and the US and a wide distribution network internationally. Shareholders are leading the venture with private equity investors from Germany, France, UK and Norway. The company has received numerous awards for its environmentally friendly technology and innovation, including its naming as a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer.
The Kebony® technology permanently transforms sustainable wood species such as pine into Kebony wood with features that are comparable, and in some cases superior, to those of precious tropical hardwoods. This unique environmentally friendly process is also a superior alternative to traditional wood treatment based on impregnation with biocides (wood preservatives). The company’s patent-protected production processes yield products that deliver major improvements in durability and dimensional stability, at the same time as being highly attractive. The Kebony products are suitable for a multitude of applications and designs – encompassing both indoor and outdoor applications.
Kebony’s mission is, through active innovation, quality thinking and understanding of commercial possibilities; give the world beautiful, long lasting and environmentally friendly wood products. The company will show social responsibility and contribute to improvements of the environment in a way that builds a better future.
